Local Singer & Ramona Footage in Quiet Riot Documentary Film

The Quiet Riot documentary film partially shot at Ramona Mainstage on January 28, featuring San Diegan singer Mark Huff as their new frontman, will be released in early 2012. A YouTube trailer for Well Now You’re Here There’s No Way Back features Lita Ford, Rudy Sarzo, Eddie Trunk, Alice Cooper, Steven Adler, and Glenn Hughes. The film was written, produced, and directed by Regina Russell.

“I’ll know in a couple of weeks how my schedule is gonna roll for me,” said Huff in September 2010, shortly after he was announced as the new singer for Quiet Riot.

Original vocalist Kevin DuBrow died from a reported cocaine overdose in 2007.

Huff is a veteran of two local tribute bands, OU812 (Van Halen) and Deeper Purple (duh). He also sings for L.A.-based VH tribute Atomic Punks and their spin-off, Sammy Hagar–era salute 5150.

With former members such as the late Randy Rhoads and star bassist Rudy Sarzo, Quiet Riot was the first metal band with a song in Billboard’s top five, a cover of Slade’s “Cum on Feel the Noize,” while their 1983 LP Metal Health was the first metal album to reach number one. Having last performed in 2007, founding drummer Frankie Banali reunited a latter-day version of the band this year, along with fellow former Rioters Chuck Wright (bass) and Alex Grossi (guitar).

Huff, 46, lives in Carlsbad and still maintains his day job as foreman for a house-painting company. “If you go to the official Quiet Riot [web]site, you can hear the rerecordings that I did for three of their hits. We did ‘Cum on Feel the Noize,’ ‘Slick Black Cadillac,’ and ‘Bang Your Head.’ It was awesome…. We recorded up in L.A.” According to the group’s website, the rerecordings are “not intended as replacements for the original versions. They will not be used for commercial exploitation.”

Mark Huff

Huff and bassist-singer John Osmon left OU812 in 2010, though both still occasionally play with Deeper Purple. “We only do it a few times a year,” says Osmon, who doesn’t anticipate any scheduling conflicts. “Right now, even with Quiet Riot, they’re not out on tour yet.”

Regarding Huff’s new gig, Osmon says, “They announced it a couple of weeks ago, but he’s been working with them for a while.... Even when they had Kevin DuBrow...they were kind of playing smaller venues. I don’t know how cool it’s gonna end up. But, you know, at least he’ll be able to say that he sang with Quiet Riot.”

The documentary mainly follows QR drummer Frankie Banali. As a single soccer dad in the suburbs, his long hair and tattoos frighten the neighbors, but to other drummers he's a hero. His career took a major sideswipe when Dubrow died.

The film features home movies from Quiet Riot's heyday and today with Huff, as well as interviews with dozens of rock stars and, according to quietriotmovie.com, “a few surprise twists.”

"Field Of Screens" -- Cover story 7-6-06: Complete theater-by-theater history of San Diego drive-ins thru the years, including interviews with operators and attendees, dozens of rare and unpublished photos, vintage local theater ads, and more. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs...

"Before It Was The Gaslamp: Balboa's Last Stand" -- Cover story 6-21-07: In the late 70s/early 80s, I worked at downtown San Diego's grindhouse all-night movie theaters. This detailed feature recalls those dayz, the death of the Balboa Theatre, etc., including interviews with operators, vintage local movie ads, and more. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs...

"Pussycat Theaters: When 'Cathouses Ruled California" -- for the first time, the inside story of the west coast Pussycat Theater chain of adult moviehouses, which peaked in the '70s but later died out. Company head Vince Miranda owned and lived part time at the Hotel San Diego, operating several other local theaters downtown and in Oceanside, Escondido, etc. Told by those who actually ran the theaters, with a complete theater-by-theater encyclopedia covering every Pussycat that ever screened in CA -- http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs...

Comments

Quiet Riot are making s "surprise" appearance tonight (August 24) in Los Angeles at a show paying tribute to former Warrant singer Jani Lane, who passed away August 11 under mysterious circumstances.

The memorial concert is happening at the Key Club in Hollywood, and will feature performances by fellow metal rock bands, including QR, Great White, Enuff Z'Nuff and L.A. Guns. As I type this, 300 free tickets are being given out at the Key Club box office.